Nick Gristwood starred with both bat and ball as Great Melton B bowled out Saham Toney with just two runs to spare to give Melton victory in a match few of the Melton team really enjoyed.

Great Melton B (25 pts) beat Saham Toney A (7 pts) by two runs in the Lucas Fettes Norfolk League Division Three.

Nick Gristwood starred with both bat and ball as Great Melton B bowled out Saham Toney with just two runs to spare to give Melton victory in a match few of the Melton team really enjoyed.

After losing the toss and being inserted on a drying wicket the B's made their now usual start, finding themselves 34-4 after 16 overs with Clarke and Moxon failing to trouble the scorers.

The recalled Steve Phoenix and Nick Gristwood worked hard to rebuild the innings and add some important momentum following the completion of the impressive X Huckle's 12 overs (32-2).

Both Phoenix and Gristwood batted superbly, rotating the strike and putting the bad ball away with aplomb in their scores of 63 and 61 not out respectively.

Melton were pleased to finish on 186-7 after their start but were aware the slightly below-par score would require the taking of early wickets to restrict the Saham Toney A reply.

With David Bunn taking the catch to remove the aggressive Aussie, Rummer, for 14, the Saham Toney batsmen quickly rebuilt with X Huckle batting positively, his 41 containing 8 fours. Skipper Goodwin at the other end continued to bat circumspectly, choosing to accumulate runs in the first half of the innings.

With the removal of Huckle, wickets began to fall with regularity, forcing Goodwin to hit out to reach his 50 before falling to a superb catch in the deep by Gristwood who had his best game for the B's this year, following up his 61 with three wickets and the catch.

Goodwin and Huckle had put the home side in striking distance of the total, but straight, full bowling from Bunn (4-37) and Gristwood (3-31) kept Melton in the game and, when the youngster clean-bowled number 11 Kemp, in the 44th over, Saham were still two runs short.